Gameweek 10 of the 2021-22 Premier League season is done and dusted, with Chelsea cementing their position at the top of the rankings with a 3-0 success over Newcastle United.
The Blues have established a three-point lead over Liverpool after the Reds drew 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion, but fortunately for them, Manchester City went down 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace.
West Ham United are sitting pretty in fourth after overcoming Aston Villa 4-1, while Manchester United's 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur proved to be the final nail in Nuno Espirito Santo's coffin.
Arsenal's unbeaten run continued with a 2-0 win over Leicester City - which has seen them move up to sixth - while Wolverhampton Wanderers sit seventh after overcoming Everton 2-1 on Monday night.
Elsewhere, Burnley eased to a 3-1 win over Brentford, Norwich City's losing streak continued with a 2-1 defeat to Leeds United, and Southampton overcame Watford by a goal to nil.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week from gameweek 10 of the Premier League season.
DEFENCE
© Reuters
Any apprehension towards Aaron Ramsdale's Arsenal transfer has evaporated, as the Englishman continued to impress in between the sticks with a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester City - totalling eight saves and somehow keeping out James Maddison's free kick and Jonny Evans's follow-up.
If Ben Chilwell is not making the net ripple for Chelsea, then his fellow wing-back Reece James will be, as the defender chalked up his third and fourth goals of the league season with two thunderous efforts against Newcastle and also finished the day with a 95% pass success rate.
Now a staple of this Wolves side, Max Kilman set Bruno Lage's side on their way to a well-earned victory over Everton with a pinpoint header in the first half, and the 24-year-old helped to preserve his side's advantage with six clearances, three interceptions and eight out of 10 aerial battles won.
Watford's battle with Southampton was not exactly an entertaining watch for the neutrals, but with six clearances, four tackles, three interceptions, four out of six ground duels won and seven out of nine aerials won, Mohammed Salisu was a key factor in the Saints' win and clean sheet away from home.
MIDFIELD
© Reuters
Taking full advantage of Vladimir Coufal and Ryan Fredericks's recent absences, Ben Johnson has seemingly nailed down the right-back spot in the West Ham side and fired home a terrific left-footed effort in his side's thrashing of Villa, as well as making eight tackles and winning eight ground duels on the day.
Another Hammer to make the Villa Park turf his own was one of their own in Declan Rice, who found Johnson with a beautifully-weighted pass for his side's opener before his speculative long-range effort found its way into the back of the net via the post, and West Ham would certainly do well to keep hold of the England international beyond 2022.
It was simply impossible to leave out a Palace player after they travelled home from the Etihad with all three points in the bag, and Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher was the star of the show, unselfishly playing in Wilfried Zaha for the game's opening goal before firing home his side's second with minutes remaining, with his performance once again catching the eye of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Another member of the Southampton rearguard in our TOTW has started to thrive on the opposite side of defence in recent weeks, with Kyle Walker-Peters completing 90% of his passes, succeeding with both of his dribble attempts, drawing three fouls and winning five ground duels in an all-action display.
ATTACK
© Reuters
Shaking off a knock in time to dazzle and delight on the right-hand side as per usual, Raphinha triggered the five-minute flurry of strikes at Carrow Road, controlling Daniel James's pass effortlessly before taking Grant Hanley and Andrew Omobamidele out of the game and firing home his fourth league goal of the season - justifying continued links with Liverpool in the process.
Burnley fans just cannot get enough of Maxwel Cornet at the moment, as the ex-Lyon man once again came up with the goods against Brentford - firing home a stunning strike into the top corner for his side's third as he continues to earn more and more admirers at Turf Moor.
Finally, ahead of the imminent arrival of his twins, Cristiano Ronaldo came up with a pair of goal contributions to help Man United respond to their Liverpool humiliation in perfect fashion against Tottenham - firing home a well-taken volley from a tight angle before cutting inside expertly to find Edinson Cavani for his side's second - and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will hope that he has sparked a revival of sorts for the Red Devils.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Ramsdale; James, Kilman, Salisu; Johnson, Rice, Gallagher, Walker-Peters; Raphinha, Ronaldo, Cornet
Ben Knapton
